This page is a copy of the Q & A section of a massage scholarship I applied for when I was in massage school. I just found it in my files a week ago.
I’m not sure if it was for The Spa Foundation or for Massage Magazine. Both have scholarships for massage.
I’m posting it now because I thought it would offer more insight into my massage philosophy and inspirations.
Even though I wrote my answers to these questions many years ago, much of what I asserted has come to pass.
And when I read my answers last week I was very happy to discover that my philosophy on massage and alternative health has not changed much and that I have really stuck to my intended course of action.
1. Why do you want to become a massage therapist?
I have always been drawn to the healing arts. During college, people in my dormitory would come to me when they got sick and I would choose the proper remedy to alleviate their sickness. I feel I have a talent for healing and that I serve something greater than myself when I use that talent to help others. It is very rewarding to me to make people feel more comfortable in their bodies. I love it when people to look up at me after a session and have an expression of blissful gratitude in their eyes. Also, I believe that ‘alternative’ therapy is going to become increasingly more important to our society as we realize our disillusionment with pain-pills and surgery. I would like to actively participate in this revolution by demonstrating to people that human beings are multi-faceted holistic entities, not just a piece of flesh that needs repair. I want to show people that they hold the power to heal themselves and to not give all of their power away to doctors who are not always right. On a more practical level, I want to be a massage therapist because it is a lucrative profession that is popular almost everywhere. It offers flexible hours and will eventually lead me to other modalities of healing and natural medicine (Rolfing, Shiatsu, Polarity, aromatherapy, herbal traditions, etc).
2. What specific qualities of your character distinguish you from others in the massage field?
When my dad was dying of cancer, I would visit him in the hospital. While I was there I would feel like something was different inside me; something god-like was coming through me. This god-energy would transfer through me to my father while I held his hand or lightly rubbed his feet, and he would feel better and have more physical energy after my visit. Since then, I have found that this god-force overcomes me whenever I am near very sick or terminally ill people. Two other family members have died of cancer recently, and with both of them I also felt a shift in my vibrational energy when I was around them. Even though this feeling is usually catalyzed by a tragic situation, the sensation feels very peaceful and soothing within me. Now that I am learning massage, I can combine my new skills with the abilities I instinctually discovered with my father, making a greater impact to the receiver, because I am working at both a physical and an energetic level. I am distinguished from my peers because I can instinctively work energetically to alleviate suffering, as I did with my father, but I can also use the tools and techniques I learn at I.P.S.B use my talents more effectively, and fill in holes where I lack knowledge. (Example: I already had a good sense of human anatomy, but now I will know the body in much greater detail).
3. Give an example of how you have demonstrated commitment to a long-term project in your life.
I left the University of New Hampshire when I was 19 to pursue acting. I planned to start auditioning when I got back to New York, but the day before I left, I cut my hand and had to get 17 stitches. My hand was useless for four months. I lost momentum, and by the time I healed I was depressed and full of regret for leaving UNH. Eventually, though, I managed to start acting again. I moved into the city and studied theater at Hunter College. When my father died, I questioned whether acting was truly my path. I was so emotional from his passing that the idea of emoting more on a stage didn’t appeal at all. Then I decided to move to Los Angeles even though I wasn’t sure if it was for acting or just for a change of scenery. I am happy to report that this year I found a great agent and worked on two independent films. Now that I am becoming a massage therapist I do not intend to give up acting, but I believe that the two activities will co-exist beautifully. Although I didn’t know it at the time, when I left college I was seeking balance in my life between my inner healer and my inner artist. At UNH, I had really immersed myself in learning about aromatherapy and how to heal with herbs, but I was not acting enough. When I moved to New York I was acting a lot, but my peers did not look to me when they were in need of healing. Now, in Los Angeles, I can have my beloved acting, learn about healing at I.P.S.B., heal people with massage therapy, and continue to increase my knowledge of the healing arts, at I.P.S.B. and beyond.
4. After graduation, how will your roll as a massage therapist make a positive contribution to your community?
I will alleviate peoples’ discomfort in their bodies and help them to work through the emotions stuck in their bodies. I will also empower people by educating them about their bodies, teaching them proper maintenance (like regular massage) and clear understanding. Many people rely on doctors because they are unclear of how their bodies function. I know too many examples in which doctors have failed my family, my friends, and me. I was once sick with a sinus infection for four months. My doctor would prescribe an antibiotic for me and I would get a little better and then worse and then get a different antibiotic prescription. Then my friend said I should eat garlic and flush my sinuses with salt water. I was healthy within a week! I can guide people to trust their instinct about their bodies instead of giving all of their power away to doctors. I can urge them to check out alternative options outside of/complimentary to western medicine when they get sick or are told they need surgery. I can open people to viewing their bodies holistically, not just biologically.
Additionally, I’d like to volunteer my massage skills for the 3 day Breast Cancer Walk, and I intend to volunteer my skills to terminally ill patients (especially cancer); giving them comfort, healing and/or company as they approach their time to cross over.
5. Why did you choose the school you are currently attending?
I chose I.P.S.B. because it immediately felt comfortable to me at the open house and offered a good balance of hard-edged science and new-age energy healing. The two other schools I looked at were at each extreme of that spectrum. I.P.S.B. landed right in the middle. I had heard fantastic things about this school before I started there myself. The intuitive healer I go to now said she has great respect for I.P.S.B. graduates, and a man giving chair massages at Whole Foods had taken electives at I.P.B.S. and loved it.
At the open house there was an emphasis on Tai Chi, and how it teaches healthy body mechanics and improves stamina. This was also very important to me because I had spoken to many other massage therapists (non-IPSB grads) that had complained that their fingers were always tired or they had to wear magnets on their wrists to increase their strength. The teachers were caring, knowledgeable, and passionate about their work, and it looked like the classes would be fun and that I.P.S.B. used various teaching methods to reinforce the material. I left feeling confident that I would be spending the next few years of my life there, which is what seems to be happening. (The 550 hour course, which I have already signed up for, takes 1 to 3 years to complete.)
6. Tell us why you believe you are deserving of this scholarship.
I deserve this scholarship because I am a diligent student who is passionate about the field of massage and intend to use my knowledge to help others feel good. I am SO JOYFUL knowing that I will be spending the next couple years (or really, the rest of my life) learning about the body, massage, and energy work, and several modalities within these categories. I would be doing this regardless of whether I received the scholarship, but financially it would certainly help and I could use a nod from the universe that says I am on the right path. I feel I deserve a nod. I have sacrificed a lot to arrive at where I am now.I believe that when someone has found her rightful path; something that she is good at, that helps others, and that brings her joy; the universe opens doors to encourage the seeker along her path. I am passionate about therapeutic massage, about its meaning in today’s medical world, about my classes at I.P.S.B. and learning as much as I possibly can about this field. By assisting me with funding, you open the door that will allow me to help people come into balance. Balanced people lead to a balanced world.